Oh, sweet Portugal. I cannot even explain to you how happy I am to see some sunshine and hear the sound of seagulls. I'm hanging out at this h-u-g-e tech conference (53,000 attendees) called Web Summit all week long and things are going fabulously so far.

In my ongoing pursuit to give you people the best job search tips and tricks on the planet, I find it really useful to stay hyperconnected to what's happening with the world's most awesome startups and technology companies.

After all: In order to get hired by the world's most interesting companies, one must be able to name the world's most interesting companies. Never underestimate the value of keeping your finger on the pulse, feel me?

Anyway. I wanted to check in with you before the election insanity kicks off for real tomorrow to share this little mantra I've been using to keep me going this year. And that mantra is this:

You're in charge of your own sh*t.

Elections have the tendency to make me feel extraordinarily helpless and daunted by huge problems that are almost impossible to comprehend, much less tackle with ease.

I know that, for myself, my instinct is to get really exhausted by politics -- sometimes to the point where all the projects I'm working on start feeling trivial and pointless in the face of what feels like the end of days.

In these moments, I take a lot of comfort in reminding myself that, for better or worse, I'm still in charge of my own sh*t. Because I know that if I don't do what needs to get done, nobody else has the capacity to do it for me.

This is kinda what being an #entrylevelboss means to me. It means that, no matter what the world keeps pouring down on our heads -- for better or worse, I'm still the only person who's in charge of me.

I do believe that governments can make room for mind-blowingly positive change, but I also know I cannot depend on slow-moving policies or social movements to save me. And I certainly can't depend on anyone else to propel me to the top of my game, career-wise.

All those old sayings say the same thing: God helps those who help themselves. You get what you give. What goes around comes around.

You can and will always help yourself by... helping yourself.

I take comfort in knowing that I always, always, always have the power to just keep chipping away at whatever it is I want to accomplish. And knowing that I'm at least halfway in control at all times tends to bring me back to zen.

I'll most certainly be trying to keep that in mind this week. I hope it helps you, too.

I'm getting a lot of interest so far about my offer to hop on the phone later in November and answering questions about how to job search over the holidays! You could all dial in, from anywhere in the world. Would this be helpful? Hit reply and say YUP if so.